Keepers of the Earth
The organization devoted to the worship of the Earth is called the Keepers of the Earth, and it possesses it's own kind of religious empire. While it does not control a great deal of land, it is able to acquire tithes and donations from powerful worshipers, who seek legitimacy. The Keepers of the Earth have a civilian and a military branch, and maintain a small land "empire" (much more like a large country with imperial tendencies and ambitions) called the Empire of the Earth, and a much larger sphere of religious influence. The Tenders The civilian priesthood, called the Tenders, have greater social status within the organization than the military priesthood. They are considered to be the side of the earth which is order, patterns, and tradition. They maintain records of what has gone before, and tend to holy places, many of which are magical caverns which are then exquisitely carved with religious imagery. They are also considered to be the "giving" branch of the priesthood. They provide medical services to those in need, counsel to important men and women, and have a number of important ceremonies in which they return resources to the earth or bury the dead. Female members of the Tenders are only permitted to have a single living child at any given point in time, and any child they birth is committed to the priesthood, seen as the mother's personal cycle of rebirth, and in some practices considered to be the same individual as their mother. Men within the Tenders are permitted sex only within the order. The Tenders are matrilinear, but do not favor either sex outside of this. Druids and Sorcerers are common within the Tenders, though Sorcerers are rarer as they cannot be trained unless they possess innate magical talent. Men and women who are sorcerers are heavily encouraged by the Tenders to produce offspring. Protectors The military priesthood is known as the Protectors, and thinks of itself as such. The Protectors are considered to be subservient to the Tending branch of the priesthood, and it is their job to provide resources for and defend from any attacks the small empire belonging to the Keepers of the Earth, Presently there is a campaign of crusades going on to bring wealth to the Keepers and strip those who the priesthood does not see as legitimate of their power. They represent the variation and change which occurs over time, as well as being enforcers of divine right, seeing it as their job to defend those they perceive as possessing such a right and to strip the power from individuals seen as having lost their divine right. Protectors are permitted and in fact encouraged to hold office outside of the empire, as they are not allowed to hold political office within it, and are seen as filling this role in addition to whatever other roles they fill as individuals. While there is usually less power to be gained as a Protector (exception: you are already part of a noble bloodline), there is a great deal more freedom. Monks, Sorcerers, and Rangers are common within the Protectors, though the protectors are home to a much greater diversity of classes. Clerics and Paladins It is the Archons of the earth who select and empower Paladins and Clerics, both of which are very rare and deeply respected as the chosen ones of the Earths' divine court. While Clerics serve in both branches of the priesthood, Paladins belong almost solely to the Protector's branch. Both Clerics and Paladins will occasionally declare themselves independent of either branch, if they have been tasked with a particular purpose or quest. A cleric or paladin's holy symbol, which most claim to craft themselves under the inspiration or control of their Archon, is his or her badge of office and way of access to the divine, and holy symbols are only usable by clerics or paladins. Without one, a Cleric or Paladin will be unable to channel divine power, and with the wrong one their powers may become weaker or twisted. For this reason the destruction of a Cleric or Paladin's holy symbol often ends their career within the Keepers, though certain particularly notable individuals have reforged or forged new holy symbols. Warlocks are uncommon in both branches, as they are seen as bringing in foreign creatures to do their bidding. There is a heavy cultural stigma surrounding Warlocks, who are seen as summoners of demons and thought to be followed by chaos and disruption of the natural order. Those warlocks who are found here are able to summon and create pacts with servants of the Archons rather than otherworldly demons, and are theorized to be a kind of Cleric. Category:Religion Category:Organizations